Baby #5

Tomorrow I will be 35 weeks...the last half of this pregnancy has flown by until now...the heat is finally getting to me and we've resorted to constant A/C and days at the pool. I feel good during the day, but nights are a different story as I toss and turn all night...I can't sleep on my right side because of heart-burn and acid reflex and I can't stay on my left because I wake up with sore kidneys from the baby boy kicking them all night, I can't sleep on my back because I can't breath...it gets complicated finding a sleep position, but I guess this just goes to say that the final days of this pregnancy are winding down. I am trying hard not to wish away the summer as I enjoy the kids being home and the freedom that gives us, but I also want the end of August to come...definitely a catch-22. I feel ready in a few ways and very unprepared in most others.

at 31 weeks:a profile of his face and his hand near his mouth

Who will this little one be? How will he fit into our family? How will it be juggling 4? We are all at different stages in preparing for this baby, I have to keep reminding Brian that I am pregnant:), Samuel is radiating with excitement to finally have a brother (on earth) and Maggie is looking forward to holding him. Sadie kisses my belly frequently and tells us that he is her baby, "my baby" and I am her mama "my mama"...she's a little possessive right now...adding an addition will be interesting for her, but I think she will love him to bits once she realizes he is here to stay.

The 4th of July

It was so nice coming home to the kids. We missed them and they missed us...it was a long time to be away and all three of them looked older and grew up a little more while we were gone.

We've been enjoying our summer and keeping things mellow and low-key. We spend our days swimming, playing, reading, doing homework, evening walks, and movies. We enjoyed a fun 4th of July with family and friends. The kids participated in the annual 4th of July morning parade and neighborhood breakfast and then we hosted a family/friends barbecue. We had backyard games and lots of food and everyone made really fun festive treats and desserts. The city had a fireworks ban because of all the fires and so we celebrated the 4th with the barbecue, games, and an outdoor movie in the backyard.

Walking to the parade...Sam wasn't feel well so he rode in the wagon with Sadie rather than on his bicycle

Maggie with her friends

Happy 4th of July Morning

The gumballs were a favorite for the kids

These red, white, and blue brownie skewers were also a favorite...I think I'll make these a tradition
Brownies, marshmallows, strawberries and blueberries on a kabob stick

Brian's sister-in-law, Liliaan, made this amazing cake...it was not only patriotic, but delicious!

Sam with his friend Hawken and Cousin Robert

The Red and Blue Sodas were a hit as well. There wasn't one left after the party!

Roma

All's well that ends in Rome. Brian and I spent our last 1 1/2 days in Rome. We had been before, so we were able to relax and rest. After all that biking, I was in need of some R&R. We walked a lot and saw a lot of our favorite sites. The Soccer Euro Cup was going on, so we also watched a few of the matches while in Rome as we ate Italian pizza and Italian desserts.

The Pantheon, probably my favorite building in Rome.

Piazza Navona, the 4 Rivers Fountain by Bernini

The bridge (Ponte Vecchio) Michelangelo frequently crossed with his marbles as he worked at the Vatican...and the fortress in the background is Castel Sant'Angelo/Hadrian's Tomb

The famous Mouth of Truth, legend has it that if you're a liar and you place your hand in the mouth, it won't come out looking the same. The face, is actually believed to have been a sewer cover in Roman times...ugh.

The Colosseum. Rome was busier and hotter then I remember it being.

The Spanish Stairs and our last night in Rome.

Italy 2012 Week 2

The second week in Italy, we met up with friends from our neighborhood and did a bike tour through other parts of the Tuscany and Umbria region. I wasn't sure how much I was going to be able to ride being 7 1/2 months pregnant, but I ended up surprising myself and rode a total of about 70 miles in five days. My longest day on the bike was 31 miles and ended at the Arno River! I really felt good the entire trip and felt very blessed. We rode mainly on small country roads with little traffic. We stayed in a few larger towns like Arezzo and Cortona, but mostly spent our time along the rolling hills and fields of Tuscany, all beautiful and picturesque.

Day 1 at the agricultural farm/hotel where we stayed for two nights, country living at its best

The pool was breathtakingly beautiful and so refreshing after the heat and sweat of the day

Stopping for lunch in another small town, this was my 23 mile day

Another small town stop for food and water, GuanPaulo (GP), is in the photo with us, he was the guide who drove the van and took very good care of me and everyone else, he was really like the Mother Hen of the group

Out in the countryside looking out over olive groves and castles in the background

This was at the end of my 31 mile day, Cristiano is holding up the "W"s for because he called me WonderWoman...Italians aren't comfortable with pregnant women on bicycles

The Arno River and Bridge in the background is said to be the same background you see in the Mona Lisa painting, this was the reward at the end of my 31 miles.

We passed by fields and fields of these ball of hall or rolbolitas

In Arezzo, we got to see the locals practice their jousting for their upcoming Medieval Festival

This photo was taken as Brian and some from the group climbed up to one of the hill towns on the optional loop. Brian was so good to stay with me, but I know he really enjoyed his time, usually after lunch, when I'd ride in the van.

This was my 5 mile day. I got my photo with the infamous rolbolita, and enjoyed air conditioning and Italian lessons in the van with GP. The weather was unusually hot, 100 degrees most days with 80 to 90 percent humidity.

After a long day of riding, we found ourselves in the beautiful hill town of Cortona.

This was our last day on the bikes, a 23-mile day for me.

We rode past our first blooming fields of sunflowers on Day 5. The Italian government pays farmers to plant sunflowers for the main purpose of tourism. Due to a cool Spring, most of the sunflowers hadn't bloomed yet.

These were our guides from left to right: GP, Cristiano, Massimo...they were so fun and took really good care of us!

The Van, need I say more.

Italy 2012 Week 2

Brian and I had a great time in Italy. We flew into Rome, rented a car, and then made our way up through Tuscany. We visited hill towns like Volterra and Montalcino and saw and climbed the leaning tower of Pisa, we spent an afternoon in Siena and a day in Lucca, riding around the old town on rented bicycles. We spent two days in Florence, we saw Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus, we toured the Medici palaces and fortress and saw the frescos of Fra Angelico...all amazing.

Bagnoregio Di Civita, this hill town is so old that the only access to it today is the footbridge you see behind Brian

The main square in Siena where the Palio horse races take place every July

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The marble stairs going up the Leaning Tower

Brian at the top of the Leaning Tower, it leans at a 15 percent angle and we could feel the lean as we climbed

I feel the tower leaning, scary

Brian on his cruiser in Lucca

Lucca's rampart walls surround the old city...we rode our bicycles on top in their green space/park

Brian in Florence, our hotel in the background

Palazzo Vecchio or The Medici Town Hall/government building where the Medici's ruled Florence from

Florence on an early Monday morning